Donation Letter

The Obliteride is fast approaching. Only 114 more days to raise the minimum $1,500 needed for my 100 mile ride.  Here's the kicker - even though I believe in this cause with all my heart, I am always so hesitant to ask friends and family for money.  This goes way, way back.  I had my dear friend Kristy sell my candy bars for Little League, my Dad always bought all my band calendars and I usually just pony up the money instead of asking others.  I know how hard it is to come up with extra cash. I understand that even if I support the cause, funds are tight.  But I also know from working for Fred Hutch the last 16 years (yes it's been that long!) that research cannot be done without the support of our community.  Government funding is limited and continues to be a low priority; so fundraising is a necessity.  So I plan to send the following letter to friends and family in hopes that their support will help me reach my goal.

Dear Friends and Family,

Driven by the goal to end cancer, Obliteride is a new, community-wide effort to raise money to accelerate lifesaving research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. I’m joining a movement of people committed to obliterating cancer that culminates in an empowering bike ride August 9-11, 2103.

Cancer touches all of us - half of all men and one third of all women in the U.S. will get cancer in their lifetime. These figures are shocking, but, I believe we can change the stats by funding lifesaving research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

In honor of my extraordinary family members who are surviving cancer, as well as the amazing loved ones we've lost, I'll be cycling 100 miles on August 10 to raise $1500 (or more!) for cancer research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, whose work I believe in implicitly and am consistently astounded by...and an organization I am honored to call my employer.
 Here's where I need your help. CAN YOU HELP ME RAISE $1500? 100% of every dollar donated will go directly to cancer research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where your donation can make a DIRECT IMPACT on research to save lives faster.

Do this for me. Do this for my mom Dorothy, Aunt Eleanor, Aunt Elaine, Aunt Debbie, Barb, Harold, for loved ones whose fight you've witnessed and whose fight is your own. Do this for your mom, your sister, your daughter, your dad, your brother, your son. Do it for all the people out there who you will never know, but whose lives, like yours, will never be the same after hearing the words "It's CANCER." 

TOGETHER WE CAN DEFEAT CANCER. 

Thank you with all my heart.

Sincerely,

Sonia Kathleen (Yantz) Bishop

Time

I find that there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. I know we all say that, and we all seem to be busy. But lately it feels that the days are about three hours shorter then they used to be. Am I over committed? Perhaps. Am I just not organized enough? Perhaps. Do I know how to say no. Not really. It seems like I have the ability to get everything done for everyone, except for me. It's funny how we (meaning the royal "we" of Mommies) some how push back, or lose the fact that our health and well being is not as important as those around us. Deep down we know the importance, but for some reason it seems to be the easiest to postpone. Perhaps because it's hard work, perhaps because once you stop for awhile, it's really hard and disappointing to see how much you have lost.  This is where I am now. Last year at this time I was running my second half marathon and was in full speed triathlon training. This year, I average about four miles a run. My swimming is sparse and my cycling is two days a week in a spin class. I try not to throw a pitty-party for myself, but it seems easy to do when I reflect back to what I used to be able to do.
So what do I do? Seems like a simple solution...make myself a priority. That used to be easy, now both boys are playing baseball, taking swim lessons, guitar lessons, church responsibilities, volunteering at Mason's school and of course my job. Don't forget packing lunches, cooking dinner and just being Mom.  So I know "me" time is important, and I know my working Mommy friends are on the same boat as me and I know what I am supposed to do...I just need to DO IT!  Perhaps actually writing this in public will recharge me and help me to say, "no, I am not available at that time, that is my me time". That me time will become my run time and my commitment to health time.  As my dearest friend Brenda would say, "you've got to own it".  OK, time to own it!